THE moral worth of a society can be judged by the way it treats the most vulnerable in its midst. Hong Kong today should feel shame at the treatment of Vietnamese migrants meted out by its law enforcement officers during the raid on the Whitehead detention centre.
The details of the raid are spelled out dispassionately in yesterday's report of the official inquiry into the April 7 raid. Yet it is difficult not to be disappointed by its conclusions and recommendations. Andrew Li and David Todd, the two Justices of the Peace who conducted the investigation, have worked diligently at assembling the details of the raid on Section 7 of the centre. It is at the level of drawing inferences from the facts that they have been hesitant. They have been mild to the point of blandness in their criticisms.
But this need not be the end of the matter. Since the facts of what happened during the raid are given in great detail, it is possible for others, notably the Governor, to draw tougher conclusions.
One thing should be made clear: no one should suggest the CSD could have undertaken the operation without planning for the use of force. The removal of some 1,500 desperate (and, in many cases, very tough) people could have been expected to have met some resistance. What could be questioned - but is not seriously examined in the report - is whether the operation was necessary. The investigators confine themselves to the observation that they are satisfied the decision to clear the whole section was ''appropriate'' because of the need to defuse an increasingly tense situation and deal with the removal of a small number of target boat people for deportation.
Chris Patten was informed of the operation and the reasons for it on March 25. But it is not clear whether there was any fuller discussion of the matter at that meeting, or subsequently.
FAILINGS PLAIN Even more worrying is the report's acceptance that it was appropriate not to warn the inmates in advance. It seems as if the justices of the peace have relied as completely on CSD Commissioner Eric McCosh's assessment as had Security Branch and the Governor.
Since the report starts from these premises, it is not surprising that none of the principle players comes in for major criticism. Nevertheless, the failings of the men on the ground are plain for all to see. The train of events is spelled out precisely - and this is the value of the report. It is clear, for instance, that the first use of Mace was made against the boat people immediately facing the CSD officers at a time when those at the back of the section had not properly understood what was going on and inadequate attempts had been made to alert them. This is rightly, though mildly, criticised.